5 Things They Don’t Tell You About High School: A Student’s Survival Guide

Love it or hate it, we all go through it.

High School is the heaven or hell hole we developing young adults must go through before making the hardest decision of our lives, choosing what we want to become. Parents say they know the struggle of becoming a young adult, but do they really? Times have changed, technology has advanced and subjects have taken a sharp left turn to keep up with our modern society norms. The pressure of becoming a decent person in this life has increased, keeping many students on the edge of their toes due to the sheer stress and panic of the thought. But, that is why I will be giving you tips and tricks on how to survive high school.

1.Your High School experience will not be like the movies.

It is common sense, this is not Mean Girls, it is not Heathers, and unfortunately it isn’t High School Musical either. Leave the idea of singing and having perfect choreography at home. Trust me. Unless your friends are professional dancers on the down-low, no one will be that good at dancing on the lunch tables. Who you sit with at lunch will not matter, cliques do exist and some are more known than others, but they are not set in stone. The famous Mean Girls quote, “You can’t sit with us” is just for laughs, cliques can always mix and the thought of having seating charts in the cafeteria is ridiculous.

2.Homework can be out of control sometimes.

You will feel like you are drowning in loads of never-ending work. It will be harder for some to balance everything in their life, but it’s okay. AP and honor classes will be challenging and stressing, but you must remember that our mental health comes before anything else we do. The “trick” to maintain everything together is to realize and accept that sometimes you won’t be able to do it all. Give yourself some rest, drink a tea, and then continue on what you have to do

3.Don’t be shy, just try.

You will only have 4 years of high school, so you might as well enjoy all that you can. Create the type of memories that last a lifetime, and enjoy every little thing. You might be shy and awkward, but don’t worry, most of us are. Join sports, create clubs, have parties, and try everything else you want to try because later you will see all the chances you had to do something new and regret it. It just takes a little push out of the comfort zone to create memories you will carry till the end.

4.Everyone procrastinates, and it is okay.

Something will always pop up right when you’re supposed to be doing something important. There is twitter that has to be checked, food to be eaten, vines to be watched, and friends to be talked to, right? Well, I’m not trying to encourage procrastination, but if you’re like me and you choose to wait for the last few minutes before the work is due, I got a tip just for you. PLANNING! Planning things out will help you balance your time and work, so you have time to have fun but also get stuff done.

5.You can only be you, and that is enough.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so don’t worry your ‘glo up’ will come sooner or later. No person is the same, only you can be you and you should feel proud of what you have. Kindness is far more rewarding than looks. Don’t go out seeking popularity, those who do tend to be the most insecure. Most of the time kids seek popularity because that’s the only time they feel they have attention. If you get popular due to your kindness, then congrats because that is the best way to be remembered. But, if you are planning to be popular for being an a**, don’t even bother.

6.High school is your journey

High school can be a pain in the behind, but that’s only if you make it that way. Getting involved with school activities and hanging around people that make you happy is all your responsibility and trust me it’s worth the time. Enjoy your last years as a teen because those are precious memories that you will not get back, it doesn’t matter if you’re a cocky jock, the biggest band geek, captain in the cheerleading squad, or the biggest genius “We’re all in this together!”.